ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Down 5.1% - Here's Why

Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) were down 5.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $640.61 and last traded at $648.05. Approximately 1,335,723 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 18% from the average daily volume of 1,629,699 shares. The stock had previously closed at $683.16.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on ASML shares. Susquehanna dropped their price target on ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on ASML from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. DZ Bank raised shares of ASML from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $906.00.

ASML Stock Up 0.8 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.53. The business's 50 day moving average price is $697.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $712.65. The firm has a market cap of $251.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.78, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 16th. The semiconductor company reported $6.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.12 by $0.19. ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. The company had revenue of $8.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.90 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be given a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 28th. This is a boost from ASML's previous dividend of $1.08. ASML's payout ratio is 27.48%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ASML. Edgewood Management LLC raised its position in ASML by 43.1% during the fourth quarter. Edgewood Management LLC now owns 3,186,667 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $2,208,615,000 after acquiring an additional 959,696 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of ASML by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,788,280 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,239,421,000 after buying an additional 31,231 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of ASML by 70,115.5% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,400,800 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $9,282,120,000 after buying an additional 1,398,805 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in ASML by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,252,849 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $868,324,000 after acquiring an additional 33,603 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its holdings in ASML by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 962,578 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $667,155,000 after acquiring an additional 13,115 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company's stock.

ASML Company Profile

ASML Holding N.V. develops, produces, markets, sells, and services advanced semiconductor equipment systems for chipmakers. It offers advanced semiconductor equipment systems, including lithography, metrology, and inspection systems. The company also provides extreme ultraviolet lithography systems; and deep ultraviolet lithography systems comprising immersion and dry lithography solutions to manufacture various range of semiconductor nodes and technologies.